1. No agent is still better than a bad agent. Also, NO PUBLISHER IS BETTER THAN A BAD PUBLISHER.

... the fact is, there’s only so much being in a bad relationship with an agent can hurt you without a publisher being involved. In the age of self-publishing, there is always that option, and thankfully I know a number of people who’ve recovered from bad agent relationships with successful self-publishing endeavors.

A bad publisher, however, can seriously screw you. A bad publisher can make it so your book will never, ever be read. They can make it so you’ve thrown away your one shot with this book in a way even a bad agent can’t do. A bad publisher can take a huge chunk of your earnings while doing absolutely nothing for you that you couldn’t do yourself.

2. Properly managing expectations is the single-most underrated issue in publishing right now.

3. You don’t need to get offended at everything that can be read as offensive if you want it to be. Nor do you need to respond to it.

4. Refusing to accept critique is the surest way to stunt your growth as a writer, both in skill and career.

5. Idealism is nice, but so’s appreciating where and why some of your ideals are actually probably clashing with other ones.

6. New Adult is a real thing that is selling. That doesn’t mean it’s being handled particularly well by traditional publishers.

7. You cannot have a solid partnership with people you don’t respect.

8. You are a person, not a promo machine.

9. Everybody talks, and everybody can see what you put out on the Internet.

10. The only way to make a change in the publishing industry is to support the change you want to see.